My Dad had visited Maurizio Restaurant as a guest of a client and really enjoyed his lunch there. As a lover of Italian food, surprisingly, I have not visited many Italian restaurants. I decided I must try Maurizio Restaurant which is a fine dining restaurant situated to the north of the CBD. Walking in to the air conditioned surroundings made a change from the hot blustery air of the mid afternoon. Inside, the restaurant features a large interior with capacity to seat plenty plus an enclosed private dining area. The modern interior is tasteful and pleasant. On Dad meeting the owner on his prior and current visit, we were well looked after during the course of our lunch and probably received more generous servings with our meals.

Maurizio’s has a lunch time special at $45 per person with a large range of entrees and mains which is quite different to other establishments where the choice is limited but suitable. Here, you’re spoilt for choice. The waitstaff also told us about the specials of the day which compounded the decision on what to choose even more! The staff are all Italian and I love their accents but you do need to listen carefully to understand what they’re saying but that’s OK, it adds to the authenticity of being in an Italian restaurant. In the end, I went for:

The meal always starts with baskets of sliced Italian bread served with a bowl of olive oil and chillies. The bread was lovely and the chillies somehow were muted by the olive oil yet the slightest hint of hotness hits your pallet.

Deep fried zucchini flower stuffed with mozzarella and anchovies – on cooking shows like MasterChef I’ve seen zucchini flowers and always wondered what they would be like to eat. Today, I got my opportunity. Coated in a bright yellow crispy batter, perfectly deep fried, the zucchini flower, mozzarella and suitable saltiness provided by the anchovies just melted in my mouth. OMG! Fantastic.

Fig wrapped in prosciutto and served in a gorgonzola sauce – another knockout, this round ball wrapped in prosciutto was presented to me in a small dish surrounded by gorgonzola sauce. Now, I’m not a fan of blue cheese, but this entree was amazing! The ingredients all combined superbly and it tasted light sweet honey but not sickeningly sweet. The sweet, salty and sour, what a combination. Loved this meal thoroughly.

Hand made pasta served with seafood – two large rectangular sheet of pasta were presented on a rectangular dish with small bits of seafood, tomato and parsley situated around, in between, and over the pasta. Really simple ingredients but a real freshness provided by the warmed tomatoes and finely cut parsley. The seafood wasn’t much but given it’s meaty, was ample, didn’t need any more otherwise it would have overbalanced the dish. The pasta was a little disappointing as it was cooked but quite firm to the taste. I prefer if the pasta was cooked longer.

Roasted baby goat – following the 3 entrees which were reduced in portion so we could sample more dishes and have variety, I was presented with the mains. A rather large plate with a small portion of green beans sat at the top and was surrounded by 4 large pieces of roasted baby goat in extra olive oil, garlic and rosemary. Goodness sakes! I was pretty hungry when I entered and after eating the entrees was getting quite full. But, to see the amount of goat that was presented, a plate covered with all meat bar the beans, I wondered how I was supposed to eat all of this. I would have been happy with one maybe two pieces. So I dug in and wow, was the goat oh so tasty! Slightly crunchy on the outside, the baby goat was still on the bone which added more flavour and the goat was so tender and flavoursome. Apart from the green beans, there wasn’t much contrast to the meat but it was so delicious you didn’t need anything else. Even the fat was tasty.

Tiramisu – well all of the above concluded the lunch time special but I was really hoping for some dessert. I saw what looked like a thin slice of cake being served to a nearby table and inquired of the waitstaff what that dish was. Tiramisu it was and given the portion, I don’t know how, but I thought I could manage that. What I got presented was double the portion at least! Surrounded by high grade cocoa sprinkled over all of the plate with dashes of a sweet syrup, the Tiramisu was fantastic! So light, moist, flavoursome. The mascarpone cream was so light and not cheesy and heavy. There was a distinct coffee flavour soaked into the biscuits but it didn’t overpower and hung in the background, subtle, not pushing it’s flavour on to you but not leaving without being noticed.

I honestly don’t know how I ate all that Italian food but while I was stuffed, I wasn’t uncomfortable. Really delicious food, superb service, generous serves. I must visit again. My other dining companions also enjoyed their meals and loved the coffee.

Maurizio Food Review Summary

Verdict: Well for a fine dining establishment serving Italian food, I was completely satisfied on all fronts. Such delicious meals, variety, combinations of ingredients, flavours, superb service, generosity, and value for money. I really enjoyed my experience but would prefer to leave on a slightly less full stomach but I didn’t want to offend the owner! Bring an appetite.Price: ExpensiveTaste: DeliciousValue: ExcellentRecommendation: Highly Recommend

Maurizio Restaurant Details

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